What is I-O?

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology is the scientific
study of the workplace. Rigor and methods of psychology are
applied to issues of critical relevance to business,
including talent management, coaching, assessment,
selection, training, organizational development,
performance, and work-life balance.

SIOP is now soliciting nominations for the position of editor-in-chief of Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice. The new editor will be selected by the Publications Board, and approved by the Executive Board in March, 2015. The new editor-in-training would begin working with the current editor, Kevin Murphy, beginning March 2015, and assumes duty beginning September 1st, 2015.

The editor must be a SIOP Member or International Affiliate. Any SIOP Member or International Affiliate can nominate for the editorship. Self-nominations are also welcome.

Position DescriptionBecause the format of the journal is relatively unique in the field, the requirements for the editorship are little different from those other editorships. The editor must have:

a broad knowledge of topic areas and leading experts in the field of I-O

an understanding of the various perspectives that exist regarding important issues to the field

the ability to solicit and develop focal articles and responses from all types of contributors (e.g., academics, researchers, practitioners, business leaders etc.) to ensure a truly balanced set of perspectives

a plan for publishing focal article topics that are high in quality and of interest within and outside I-O

the organizational skills necessary to manage a large journal

sufficient time to devote to the journal on a regular and uninterrupted basis for three years

If you are interested in serving as editor of one of SIOP’s most influential publications, or if you know someone who might, submit your nomination via email by January 1, 2015to Allan Church (allan.church@pepsico.com), SIOP Publications Officer.

The journal publishes four issues per year. Each issue generally contains two target articles and 10 to 20 commentaries. This job is different from the typical editor’s job. For a journal with a traditional format, one has a steady stream of manuscripts, the editor assigns reviewers, and makes decisions when reviews are in. Below is a rundown of activities for each issue of IOP along with time estimates:

Scan the environment looking for topics (2-5 hours)

Select two topics

Network to get suggestions for potential authors on the topics (5-10 hours)

Note that the above process occurs for each of 4 issues each year. So at any one time, the editor may be soliciting topics for one issue, working with the focal article authors on another issue, reviewing commentaries for a third issue, and finalizing the focal article author response for a fourth issue.

In addition to the duties that are cyclic for each issue, other activities include preparing reports for the SIOP executive committee, responding to unsolicited manuscript submissions, and responding to general queries about the journal

All in all, it averages 6-8 hours per week. But it’s “lumpy”: there are weeks with little to do, and weeks with 40 decision letters waiting to be written.

Because of the number of hours required, it is typical for the institution of which the editor is a faculty member to give a 1 course reduction.

If you are interested in serving as editor of one of SIOP’s most influential publications, or if you know someone who might, submit your nomination to Allan Churchbefore January 1, 2015!